The present invention relates generally to can crushing devices and, more particularly, to manually operated can crushers for compressing lightweight cans of aluminum construction, such as are used for packaging various beverages.
A number of manually operated can crushing devices are to be found in the prior art. Some of these utilize a piston or ram which is moved toward a stationary plate by means of a hand-operated lever connected to the ram through some kind of mechanical linkage. A can is placed in position on the stationary plate and the lever is operated to lower the ram and crush the can. Typical of devices of this general type are those described in patents to Griemert (U.S. Pat. No. 3,009,414) and Smith (U.S. Pat. No. 2,563,379). The prior art devices, such as those of Griemert and Smith, typically employ a floor-mounted pedestal for the stationary plate, are usually relatively bulky and heavy in construction, and are relatively expensive to manufacture. Moreover, operation of can crushers of the prior art requires that the crushed cans be removed manually after raising the ram. Accordingly, there is still room for significant improvement in can crushing devices, and the present invention is directed to this end.